A Bright Future for Cransley Hospice
Cransley Hospice Trust and Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) are delighted to announce that following extensive discussions Cransley Hospice will remain on the current site at Pipers Hill Road in Kettering.
With further good news, Cransley Hospice Trust are also pleased to announce that a substantial investment to upgrade the current facilities at the hospice can now be made.
Over the last five years Cransley Hospice Trust have remained determined to secure the future home of the hospice. Working hard to bring about progress, instigating discussions with a number of different stakeholders, consciously moving complex negotiations forward to influence and reach an agreed decision collaboratively with NHFT. We are thrilled to have reached this positive position, in order to ensure that patients and families in North Northamptonshire can continue to receive the expert and compassionate care provided locally by the team at Cransley Hospice.
Paul Humphrey, Chair, Cransley Hospice Trust said
“This is fantastic news for the hospice. It helps give certainty for the future, not just to the patients and families who need this service, but for the staff too. I would like to thank our partners and colleagues within the NHS for their engagement and hard work so far and look forward to the successful completion of works to refurbish and upgrade the Pipers Hill Road facility, with our investment enhancing the delivery of end of life care for the people of North Northamptonshire.”
Crishni Waring, Chair, NHFT commented:
“Working together in partnership to support our communities is a priority for NHFT, and we are so pleased to be continuing this important partnership with our colleagues at Cransley Hospice Trust. The compassionate and high-quality end of life care offered at this important North Northamptonshire site is so valuable to our communities, and on behalf of NHFT I would like to send my thanks to all involved on this important journey.”
Philip Talbot, Chief Executive, Cransley Hospice Trust added:
“We are delighted we have been able to work in partnership to secure the future of the hospice on its current site. This news provides us with the opportunity to invest in the wider modern hospice movement locally and provide the best end of life care for those patients, carers and families experiencing end-of-life support in North Northamptonshire.
“I would like to thank our community for their patience and loyalty whilst waiting for this excellent news and for their extremely generous support which has raised over £1m annually for several years. We hope they will continue to support us as we strive to grow our annual fundraising income to £2m, particularly as we celebrate 25 years of Cransley Hospice care.”
Cransley Hospice Trust is passionate about high quality hospice and end of life care being available to everyone in North Northamptonshire and relies on generous donations and support from the community and local businesses. There are many different ways for people to get involved and support the charity at this exciting time.
Philip Talbot, Chief Executive
FAQs,
Why has it taken so long to reach a decision on the future of the hospice?
As I understand it, it all started over five years age when the Trust began to engage with a re-vamped NHS on Palliative and End-of-life (P&EoL) service provision going forward.
The thinking then was that the demand for in-patient hospice care would increase in line with population increases and the current facility was not adequate and a new larger hospice would be required within 5 years (i.e. November 2023).
Meanwhile, the NHS integrated care plans highlighted changes in demand for hospice care and the need to amend legislation on P&EoL care to enable new approaches to be taken. And just to add to the mix of uncertainty we had COVID and that focussed NHS attention elsewhere!
Fast forward to October 2021 and I arrived as CEO. It seemed obvious to me that what was needed was a review of the situation and further engagement with the NHS to formulate a joint approach to the future not just for in-patient care but for all wider EoL Care provision within Northamptonshire.
Why is the hospice remaining on its current site?
A formal review took place over the winter of 2021-22 and in February we were able to assess all the evidence and come to a joint view that the expected changes in demand for P&EoL care across North Northamptonshire were best served by maintaining an in-patient provision on the existing site and up-grading the facilities.
I was told the facilities weren’t adequate what has changed?
It also became clear that we needed a strategy and plan that would transform P&EoL care across Northamptonshire so, together with the NHS, Cynthia Spencer Charitable Trust and a number of other interested parties we came together to discuss the way forward.
- Times and demands had changed:
- There was a better recognition of local population needs and accessibility.
- The government recognised a lack of state provision for P&EoL services and the need to amend legislation to encompass P&EoL care within NHS provision. This was finally completed in legislation in the Health and Care Act Amendment in July 2022.
- Locally we began working together on developing a P&EoL care strategy for Northamptonshire.
- We all wanted to approach this in an integrated way so service provision extended beyond the last few weeks of life into the last year of life.
- Locally the NHS began to re-negotiate a new lease with the landlords at Cransley.
As discussions and the strategy evolved original expectations of how future end of life provision would be delivered had changed based on the changing needs of the community. Retaining a refurbished, upgraded and modernised hospice on the current site would meet local needs whilst integrating with the progressing work on the broader and wider EoL strategy for Northamptonshire.
What part did CHT play in retaining the hospice in Kettering?
The Cransley Hospice Trust Board highlighted the need for developing a longer-term plan for the provision of in-patient services some five years ago. At that time there was significant change going on in the NHS – even more so than normal! – and with no real direction, the Board felt it important to investigate the broadest range of options to ensure hospice care would continue to be provided, locally to North Northamptonshire in the future.
Fast forward to my arrival in October 2021 and I reviewed what had been done and engaged with the NHS on the options available to us. This coincided with the agreement to develop a new strategy for EoL care across Northamptonshire and the change in responsibilities of the NHS who became statutorily responsible for EoL care for the first time.
We actively participated in the development of the strategy and influenced the outcomes which included ensuring the planned equality of provision for North Northamptonshire.
You haven’t mentioned a timeframe. Should I be concerned?
Given the direction of travel for service provision is based on localities, and the need for a local hospice is already proved, I believe such provision will be a relatively permanent feature.
With the recent legislative changes, it is also logical to assume that national policy is likely to remain the same for the foreseeable future. With this certainty we have agreed to invest significantly in the hospice facilities.
Does Cransley Hospice Trust own the hospice?
Cransley Hospice Trust (CHT) is the charitable organisation that raises funds, to commission, support and develop palliative and end of life care for the community of North Northamptonshire.
We raise money so that patients, families and carers can receive the support they need.
The charity works in partnership with Cynthia Spencer Hospice Charity and the local Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board to prescribe what services should be provided (commissioned) when a patient has a life limiting illness and needs expert help. We commission a number of service providers to deliver these services.
Cransley Hospice is run and managed by NHFT and we currently provide funding to support the delivery of end of life services at the hospice and in the community through hospice at home.